Improvement in armor-clad vessels



L.. GUDDU.

Armor-Glad Vessels.

N0, 136,055, Pat-ented F6b.18,1873.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

LOUIS GODDU, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS.

IMPROVEMENT IN ARMOR-CLAD VESSELS.

To all whom it may concern;

Be it known that I, Louis Gonne, of Boston, of the county of Sul'olk and State ot' Massachusetts, have invented a new and useful Improvement in that class of naval vessels usually termed Monitors; and I do hereby declare the same to be fully described in the following specication, and represented in the accompanying drawing, otwhich- Figure lis a side elevation; Fig. 2, a medial transverse section of a monitor embodying my invention. Fig. 3 is a transverse section taken midway between the turret and stern. Fig. et is a similar section taken midway between the turret and the bow.

In making my invention I have endeavored to produce a vessel or monitor, whose entire surface exposed or to be exposed to the shot of an enemy while the vessel may be in act-ion .shall be a deection of such shot. To accomplish this I employ a tapering or conical turret or roof tothe gun room or chamber, and such a conical or tapering detlecting glacis extended in opposite ways from a gun room or chamber arranged below the turret or roof. The deck is sloped upward in opposite directions to its longitudinal medial line, where it also slopes downward from the turret or glacis to the bow and to the stern. The walls ofthe monitor also are curved or shaped so as to deflect shot downward into thc water. The bow and the stern are also deective or curved.

In the drawing, the hull is shown at A, and the conical rotary turret or turret-roof is exhibited at B, the gun room C being a cylindrical or other proper'shaped chamber beneath the turret, and provided with a conical glacis or slope, D, encompassing it and extending down to the sides of the hull at its middle, as shown. The double-deiiecting deck is shown with slopes ay c a a extending upward from the sides to the medial longitudinal plane ofthe hull, the crown of the deck being sloped in opposite directions from the turret base or glacis to the bow c and stern d, the latter being also curved, as shown. The deiiecting-wales are represented at e e, it being intended that the monitor, when prepared for act-ion, shall. have its plane ot' dotation at or a little above the base of the deck. The tura ret or its rotary conical roof may beperforated with one or more port-holes, f, each to be provided with a closing slide or port, g, arranged as shown. A toothed rack, h, extending from such slide, in manner as represented, may be used with a pinion to effect the requisite longitudinal movements of the slide.

Fig. 5 is a front view; Fig. 6, a rear view; and Fig. 7, a longitudinal section of the mode ot' constructing the turret or the armor thereof and such parts ot the vessel as are required to be armored.

The armor is composed, rst, ot' two layers of metallic plates, l l m mi, one layer ot' which is laid on so as to break joints with the other, the whole being secured together by rivets. Next outside of these plates is an elastic sheathing, n, which may be of vulcanized rubber or gatta-percha or other suitable elastic material. N ext, the said sheathing is to be covered by a course of metallic plates, o, secured to the tirst and second course by screws 19 going through theln and the elastic course,

and being screwed into the coveringcourse o. On this covering-course another elastic sheath ing, o', is to be arranged to be in turn covered by metallic plates s, held to all the courses by screws, the heads of all the screws being on the inner side of the armor.

This mode of constructing the armor insures an elasticity to it which operates to prevent it from being broken when struck by a pro jectile. Besides it prevents the connections from being driven out of the armor to the injury of persons when in the turret.

rIhe gun-room may be fixed to the turret so as to revolve with it, or the gun-room may be stationary relatively to the turret, and be provided with means of supporting the gun or guns, and enabling such to revolve with the turret.

A. monitor so constructed will generally have greater room below the deck than one having a fiat deck. Its turret by being conn ical instead ot cylindrical will be less liable to be perforated by the shot of an enemy, and being detlective can be made lighter than a cylindrical one. Its conical glacis and peculinrly-slopcd deck are not 'only delective of and extends down to the guards ofthe vessel, shot or shell but readily discharge water when so that the Vvessel may be partially submerged thrown upon them. andthereby leave only the conical turret anda What I claim as my invention is as follows, small part of the frustum, on which it is seated, viz: l exposed to the enemys shot.

In an armored vessel, constructed substau- LOUIS GODDU. tially as described, the revolving turret, con- Witnesses: stituting the apex of a cone, of which the It. H. EDDY,

frustum forms the highest part 0f the deck, J. R. SNOW. 

